“Who are you doing this for? Is it for yourself? Is it for the audience? Or is it something that belongs to the unknown?”
Mirjana Jokovic is an international film and theater artist, star of Underground (1995 Palme d’Or), and Director of Performance at CalArts. In “The Essence of Acting”, she speaks about the privilege, possibilities, and paradoxes of being an actor.
“It is about the process of discovery of who we are.”
About the Artist
Mirjana Jokovic was born in Serbia, where she began her career at eight years old on the stage of National Theatre in Belgrade. At age ten, she starred the film The Final Race. After establishing herself as a major acting force in TV, film and theatre, she entered the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. Her career then took off to include theater and film work in South America and Europe. In 1991 she moved to the United States, residing between New York and Los Angeles while filming in Europe. She starred in Underground, which won the Palme d’Or in 1995. Mirjana’s domestic credits include number of US independent films and theatre productions, including Electra (Broadway), productions at ART in Cambridge, ACT Theatre in San Francisco, and the Sundance Theatre Workshop. She has been recognized in many film festivals and received numerous awards:
BEST ACTRESS: Yugoslavian film festival (1994, 1991, 1990, 1989 and 1988)
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS: San Sebastian Film Festival (1988)
BEST ACTRESS: Rio de Janeiro Film Festival (1988)
In 2005 she permanently relocated to Los Angeles where she began teaching acting at California institute of the Arts. In 2008 she became Associate Director for Performance, and in 2010 was appointed Director of Performance and Head of MFA Acting in the CalArts School of Theater.
